Sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose and polyacrylic acid binder with enhanced electrochemical properties for ZnMoO4·0.8H2O anode in lithium ion batteries

•ZnMoO4·0.8H2O nanorods were first synthesized at room temperature.•ZnMoO4·0.8H2O nanorods were the first time used as anode material for lithium ion batteries.•Sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose and polyacrylic acid binder can highly enhance electrochemical properties of ZnMoO4·0.8H2O.

ZnMoO4·0.8H2O nanorods as anode materials for lithium ion batteries are obtained through facile aqueous solution method. The electrochemical properties of ZnMoO4·0.8H2O have been investigated for the first time with the mixture of sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose and polyacrylic acid (CMC/PAA) as binder. The experiments show that the CMC/PAA binder significantly improves the cycling performance and rate capability of ZnMoO4·0.8H2O compared with the conventional polyvinylidene-fluoride (PVDF) and CMC. The electrode of ZnMoO4·0.8H2O with CMC/PAA displays a stable reversible discharge capacity of 479 mA h g− 1 at 100 mA g− 1, a capacity fading rate of 0.7% per cycle to the second cycle and a higher initial coulombic efficiency of 89%. A capacity of 435 mA h g− 1 at 100 mA g− 1 can recover after 50 cycles even following the discharge/charge process with the high current density of 500 mA g− 1. In addition, the CMC/PAA binder lowers Ohmic resistance and increase the lithium diffusion coefficient. All these advantages highlight the application of CMC/PAA binder used in ZnMoO4·0.8H2O.